Who: Grantaire, Brooke and Fantine What: Baby cuddles! When: Now Where: Cosette's room in the infirmary Rating: Low Status: Closed
Brooke knocked on the door to Cosette’s room, peering inside. “Hey, is this a bad-” She frowned. Cosette’s bed was empty. She peered around to see Grantaire in the corner with the baby.
He smiled. “Hello. Maman is having a lovely long bath, but she won’t be much longer.”
Brooke smiled. “Oh, that’s nice. And you’re babysitting? Where’s daddy?”
“He fell asleep in the chair and Courfeyrac carried him back to his bed. He hasn’t slept properly since she was born.”
“Aw. That’s kind of sweet.” She came in. “So you’re babysitting?”
Grantaire nodded. “I am. Stealing the title of favourite uncle very shamelessly from Courfeyrac.”
Brooke kneeled beside them. “She is so teeny. Does she fit in your hand?”
Grantaire smiled, moving her from where she was nestled into his chest and cradling her in his hands. “Not quite. She fits in Courfeyrac’s hand, though.”
Brooke smiled. “Her little eyelashes! Wow.”
Grantaire smiled at the look on her face. “Do you want to take her?” he asked, somewhat reluctantly.
Brooke grinned. “Yeah. Definitely. I don’t even feel guilty taking her from you because she’s too cute. Yes she is. Too cute!”
Grantaire handed her over carefully and Brooke sat in the chair next to him. “Hello, Fantine. You’re so precious. Yes. I made some clothes for you since you’re too little to fit in the stuff we already have. I did. Yes. You get your own fashion line! How cool is that?”
Grantaire leaned over. “That’s very nice of you.”
“Please, making baby clothes is not a chore. I love it. Almost as much as I love babies.” She smiled down at Fantine, pulling faces.
He smiled fondly. “You’ll have to have one of your own.”
“Oh, I’m going to have lots of them. So many. Yes. Yes I am.” She rocked Fantine gently as she stirred. “Do you want to play with them? Do you want friends?”
“She does. You’ll have to work quickly,” Grantaire teased.
Brooke looked up at him. “Pretty soon, I think. We’re almost there. I just have to get Jeremy to propose. How should I do that, Fantine? Hm?”
Grantaire smirked. “Get pregnant first?”
Brooke looked up at him. “Haha. No. I want a real proposal, not a shotgun one. Which one of you guys proposed?”
“I did,” he said, still very proud of that. “Maybe you should propose to him.”
“Tempting,” Brooke said. “Who says it has to be the guy anyway?”
Grantaire nodded. “Exactly.”
Fantine squirmed again, and started to fuss - the tiny cries that were the lead up to the wails that were surprisingly loud given her size. “Oh no. What’s wrong, baby girl?” Brooke asked, rocking her. “What’s the matter? Shhh, shhh, it’s okay.”
Grantaire reached out to take Fantine’s tiny hand. “She likes being up. Like I had her earlier, nestled against your chest.”
“Okay… like this?” Brooke moved her, but Fantine kept crying, wriggling and getting more worked up.
“Come here, come here,” Grantaire said eventually. “Why are you so upset, mon chou? What’s the matter?” He cradled her against his chest and rubbed her back, and Fantine settled. “Were you showing us how good your lungs are? That’s good, it’s good to know. Yes. There you go. Let Maman have a relaxing bath…”
Brooke watched him, amazed. “Wow. You are… so good at that.”
Grantaire grinned. “I’m trying for favourite uncle, like I said.”
“Seriously. You should be more than favourite uncle. You’d make a great father.”
“She already has a father,” Grantaire pointed out. “And though he’s a Bonapartist we love him anyway. Right, Fantine? Yes. Yes we do.”
Brooke laughed slightly. “No, I mean, you would be great with your own. You’ll have to have one too.”
He raised an eyebrow. “You fitted Enjolras and myself for our suits. You know very well that’s anatomically impossible.” Brooke laughed slightly. “Believe me, if there was going to be some miracle that let Enjolras and I conceive, I would have by now. By the rules of probability it would have happened.”
Brooke laughed again. “Well, there are other ways.”
Grantaire looked down at the top of Fantine’s head, the little pink and grey hat she was wearing to keep her warm. “We have spoken about perhaps adopting. There were so many children back home who didn’t have a proper family, or anyone to look out for them. But … obviously that isn’t possible here. We’ll have to see when we… go wherever we go next.”
Brooke’s brow furrowed. She had been here longer than most people, and had started to think they were never getting home. Or at least not any time soon. It was why she had accepted she would get married here, she would have kids here. If she left it until they could get home it might never happen. “That could be… a long time though.”
Grantaire nodded. “It could. I have… more than enough as it is. And this little one to spoil.” He noticed Brooke’s expression. “It’s really fine, Brooke. I never imagined I’d have what I have now. I never imagined I’d have children anyway, even before I met Enjolras.”
“Yes, but you’d make adorable babies. Or - oh my god. Enjolras would.”
Grantaire grinned. “Yes. He would. And the sorrow I feel that his genes will not continue is real, believe me.”
“They could,” she said, tilting her head.
“No,” Grantaire said. “Not even - even if somehow we could - I wouldn’t want him to be with another. And he couldn’t anyway, he … would never want to with a woman. I couldn’t either, he wouldn’t want that and - no. Just us. That’s all we need.”
“You don’t need to have sex, though,” Brooke said. At his bewildered look she smiled. “There are… other ways. Surrogacy and stuff. Where someone carries the baby for you. And you wouldn’t need to sleep with the surrogate mother, they can … make the baby in other ways.”
“How?” Grantaire asked.
Brooke smiled. “They get … samples from the dad and sometimes they take the mom’s eggs or whatever. Straight couples use it too, ones who have trouble conceiving. They can make the baby in like, a petri dish and then implant it.”
Grantaire’s eyebrows were almost at his hairline. “That is… certainly an advancement.”
“So you know, you guys could do that. His gorgeous curls could pass on to the next generation.”
Grantaire chuckled. “Perhaps. I do like the idea of adopting still. Either way, it’ll have to wait until we leave here.” He rubbed Fantine’s back gently, looking down at her thoughtfully. “And we have Mademoiselle Pontmercy to spoil. Perhaps little baby Combeferres too, some day.” He smiled. “Not to mention if you make an honest man out of Jeremy…” She laughed. “I will happily babysit any time you wish it.”
Brooke smiled. “Thank you, Grantaire.”
“Do you want to take her again?” he offered.
“Yeah, sure. Show me the magic way to hold her.” He settled the baby against her chest, showing her exactly how to support her, and then kissed the top of Fantine’s head before smiling fondly. It kind of broke Brooke’s heart a little. She just knew he would be a great dad. It would suck if he never got the chance because they never got to leave here or when they did it was too late to give it a try.